Introduction
The consumption of food supplements has been gaining prestige among athletes. However, changes in eating habits are less expressive in this population.
Objective
To verify the use of food supplements by athlete-users of fitness centers in the city of Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil as well as their knowledge of the basic principles of nutrition.
Methods
Cross-sectional study in 19 fitness centers selected using a drawing. The sample included 348 participants over age 18 of both sexes who are users of the selected fitness centers and who agreed to answer a questionnaire containing questions related to sociodemographic data, physical activity, knowledge of nutrition, and use of food supplements.
Results
Fifty-five percent of participants said they feel dissatisfied with their weight. When checking participants' background knowledge of nutrition, 41.5% said that micronutrients supply calories, 79% of the sample knew the function of macronutrients, but all respondents were not aware of the main food sources of these macronutrients. According to 66% of respondents, protein is the nutrient that should make up the greatest proportion of the diet. Out of the 54% of participants who use supplements, 43.9% use one supplement, 19.1% use two, 30.5% use three to four and 6.3% use more than four per day. Of this group, 34.2% said they were advised on the use of supplements by a nutritionist, while 31% were advised by a physical educator, followed by other means of receiving recommendations. The most frequently mentioned goal was lean mass gain (58.2%).
Conclusion
This study showed high consumption of supplements, body dissatisfaction and misconceptions about basic concepts of nutrition.
fitness centers; food supplements; exercise
